Embracing Suffering: A Path to Revival and Joy

 

Summary

In sharing my journey, I reflect on the profound truth that God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves. My life as a quadriplegic has been a testament to this, as I have experienced God's intimate presence and transformative power through my suffering. Psalm 10 reminds us that God hears the cries of the afflicted, and His heart is filled with compassion for those with disabilities. This compassion has fueled my passion to advocate for the one billion people with disabilities worldwide, many of whom live in developing nations. God is using people with disabilities to awaken the church, revealing His strength through our weaknesses.

The story of Helen Roseveare, a medical missionary in the Congo, illustrates how personal suffering can lead to national revival. Despite enduring horrific abuse during a civil war, Helen witnessed a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit, leading to widespread repentance and revival. This story challenges us to steward our suffering well, recognizing that personal revival can spark broader awakenings. We must confront our fear of suffering and embrace it as a means to draw closer to God, allowing it to reveal our true selves and our desperate need for Jesus.

Suffering is not just a burden but a tool God uses to refine us, driving us to the cross where we find His power and presence. It is a sheepdog that leads us to confront our sin and embrace the holiness and righteousness that God desires for us. Through suffering, we learn to die to ourselves daily, taking up our cross and following Jesus. This journey is not easy, but it is filled with the joy and strength that come from abiding in Christ.

In the face of suffering, we are invited to identify with Jesus, sharing in His sufferings and experiencing the joy of His resurrection. This identification transforms our perspective, allowing us to see suffering as a splash-over of hell that awakens us to the reality of our sin and the beauty of the gospel. As we embrace this process, we find that our joy in Christ becomes complete, and we are empowered to share His love and joy with others, igniting awakenings in our communities and beyond.

Key Takeaways:

- Suffering is a tool God uses to refine us and draw us closer to Him. It reveals our true selves and our need for Jesus, challenging us to steward our suffering well and embrace it as a means of personal and communal revival. [11:26]

- Personal revival begins with daily dying to self and taking up our cross to follow Jesus. This process involves confronting our sin and embracing the holiness and righteousness that God desires for us. [13:08]

- Suffering is a sheepdog that drives us to the cross, where we find God's power and presence. It awakens us to the reality of our sin and the beauty of the gospel, transforming our perspective and deepening our relationship with Christ. [14:04]

- Identifying with Jesus in our suffering allows us to experience the joy of His resurrection. This identification transforms our perspective, enabling us to see suffering as a splash-over of hell that awakens us to the reality of our sin and the beauty of the gospel. [32:59]

- Our willingness to embrace suffering and die to self is a measure of our sincerity in expressing gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice. This process leads to personal revival, which can spark broader awakenings in our communities and beyond. [43:37]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:32] - Life-Changing Injury
- [00:53] - God's Compassion for the Afflicted
- [01:31] - Advocating for the Disabled
- [02:13] - God's Power in Weakness
- [03:19] - Personal Reflections and Influences
- [05:01] - Prayer for Strength
- [06:04] - Helen Roseveare's Story
- [08:27] - Revival in the Congo
- [10:15] - Personal and National Revivals
- [11:26] - Stewarding Suffering
- [13:08] - Daily Dying to Self
- [14:04] - Suffering as a Sheepdog
- [19:35] - Finding Jesus in Suffering
- [32:59] - Identifying with Jesus
- [43:37] - Willingness to Embrace Suffering

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Psalm 10:17-18 - "You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror."
2. Matthew 16:24 - "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.'"
3. Philippians 3:10 - "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."

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Observation Questions:

1. According to the sermon, how does Joni Eareckson Tada describe her experience of God's presence in her life as a quadriplegic? [00:53]

2. What role does suffering play in the story of Helen Roseveare as shared in the sermon? [06:43]

3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between suffering and personal revival? [11:26]

4. What metaphor does the sermon use to describe suffering, and how does it relate to our spiritual journey? [14:04]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does Psalm 10:17-18 reflect God's compassion for those who are suffering, and how might this influence a believer's understanding of God's character? [00:53]

2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that suffering can lead to a deeper relationship with Christ, as seen in Philippians 3:10? [32:59]

3. How does the concept of "taking up your cross" in Matthew 16:24 relate to the idea of stewarding suffering well, as discussed in the sermon? [13:08]

4. What does the sermon imply about the potential impact of personal revival on broader community awakenings? [43:37]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you experienced suffering. How did it affect your relationship with God, and what steps can you take to see it as a tool for personal growth? [11:26]

2. The sermon mentions the importance of daily dying to self. What is one specific area in your life where you struggle to deny yourself, and how can you begin to address it this week? [13:08]

3. Consider the metaphor of suffering as a "sheepdog" driving us to the cross. How can you embrace this perspective in your current challenges? [14:04]

4. How can you identify with Jesus in your suffering, and what practical steps can you take to experience the joy of His resurrection in your daily life? [32:59]

5. The sermon challenges us to steward our suffering well. What is one practical way you can use your experiences of suffering to encourage or support others in your community? [11:26]

6. Reflect on the idea that suffering reveals our true selves and our need for Jesus. What is one area of your life where you need to confront your sin and seek God's holiness? [15:37]

7. How can you cultivate a heart of gratitude for Jesus' sacrifice, even in the midst of suffering, and what specific actions can you take to express this gratitude in your daily life? [43:37]

Devotional

Day 1: Suffering as a Divine Tool for Refinement
Suffering is not merely a burden to bear but a divine tool that God uses to refine and draw individuals closer to Him. It serves as a mirror, revealing one's true self and highlighting the desperate need for Jesus. By embracing suffering, believers can experience personal and communal revival, as it challenges them to steward their suffering well. This process involves recognizing that God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves, using suffering to awaken the church and reveal His strength through human weakness. [11:26]

"For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance." (Psalm 66:10-12, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of suffering in your life that you can begin to see as a tool for refinement? How can you invite God into this process today?


Day 2: Daily Dying to Self
Personal revival begins with the daily practice of dying to oneself and taking up the cross to follow Jesus. This journey involves confronting personal sin and embracing the holiness and righteousness that God desires. By dying to self, believers can experience a transformation that aligns their lives more closely with Christ's example. This process is not easy, but it is essential for spiritual growth and renewal, leading to a deeper relationship with God. [13:08]

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific area of your life where you need to die to self today? How can you take a practical step towards surrendering this area to Jesus?


Day 3: Suffering as a Guide to the Cross
Suffering acts as a sheepdog, driving believers to the cross where they find God's power and presence. It awakens individuals to the reality of their sin and the beauty of the gospel, transforming their perspective and deepening their relationship with Christ. By embracing suffering, believers can experience the joy and strength that come from abiding in Christ, allowing them to confront their sin and embrace the holiness that God desires. [14:04]

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4, ESV)

Reflection: How can you view a current trial in your life as a guide leading you to the cross? What steps can you take to embrace this perspective today?


Day 4: Identifying with Jesus in Suffering
Identifying with Jesus in suffering allows believers to experience the joy of His resurrection. This identification transforms their perspective, enabling them to see suffering as a splash-over of hell that awakens them to the reality of their sin and the beauty of the gospel. By embracing this process, believers find that their joy in Christ becomes complete, empowering them to share His love and joy with others, igniting awakenings in their communities and beyond. [32:59]

"For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too." (2 Corinthians 1:5, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you identify with Jesus in your current suffering? How can this identification transform your perspective and deepen your relationship with Him?


Day 5: Embracing Suffering as a Measure of Gratitude
The willingness to embrace suffering and die to self is a measure of one's sincerity in expressing gratitude to Jesus for His sacrifice. This process leads to personal revival, which can spark broader awakenings in communities and beyond. By embracing suffering, believers demonstrate their commitment to following Jesus and their desire to experience the fullness of His love and joy. [43:37]

"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5, ESV)

Reflection: How can you express gratitude to Jesus through your willingness to embrace suffering today? What practical steps can you take to demonstrate this commitment in your daily life?

Quotes

"I realized God takes no pleasure in my spinal cord injury, but He loves the way He is changing me in it and encouraging others through it. Psalm 10 says that God hears the cry of the afflicted. His heart goes out to those with disabilities. He is filled with compassion for those with special needs." [00:47:46]

"I would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Him than on my feet without Him, and that is worth living for." [02:57:01]

"Here were a people of God whose humble response to deep suffering revealed hearts bent on holiness. Now, most of us have never experienced the horrors, the ravages of war. Most of us have never been savagely beaten or raped, and yet still this story should speak to you and me today because national revivals, national awakenings, all of them begin with personal ones." [10:07:78]

"All that God wants is for us to steward well the suffering He has already given us. Do we steward well that suffering that He's given us? A simple test of that today might be, I don't know, Philippians chapter 2 verse 14, 'Do everything without grumbling.' Can we do that, do everything without grumbling? The Bible seems to think we can." [11:32:36]

"Matthew chapter 16 verse 24 is an embroidery on our wall. It's a screensaver on our computer. It's a plaque on our bedroom dresser reminding us of Jesus' words, 'Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.' But do we deny ourselves? And as Jesus says, do we do it daily?" [12:44:44]

"Suffering is God's ice-cold splash on the soul, waking us up out of our spiritual slumber so that we might face, as those people in the Congo faced, so that we might face our sin. Suffering is God's lemon that when He squeezes, out may trickle a little crabbiness, a little crankiness, a little sour disposition in the morning when you get up and you don't have your coffee." [14:29:22]

"Most of all, suffering is God's textbook. It's a textbook that keeps teaching us who we really are, not who we'd like to think we are. We are not all the paragons of virtue that we would like to think we are. Suffering will reveal who we really are and how much, how desperately much we need Jesus, a Savior." [14:52:29]

"Affliction makes me deal with it because where else am I going to turn. Where else would you turn? No one has the words of life. Only Jesus has the words of life for people whose suffering is unchartered wilderness. So every morning, I do all things through Christ whose blood I drink and whose flesh I eat, and I taste and see that He is all together lovely." [19:30:94]

"Nothing is more sweet. Nothing is more poignant and tender and beautiful and lovely than finding Jesus in the middle of your hell. I tell you that moment for me was a moment straight out of 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18, you know how you are changed from glory to glory as we behold Him." [31:06:95]

"There is a greater glory in the gospel to see, and there is even more loveliness in Jesus Christ to witness in suffering. And let me explain, I have always been grateful for Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15. You know that verse well. The portion of Scripture where we are told that Jesus is our high priest, and as such, He empathizes with our weaknesses." [31:46:47]

"God shares His joy on His terms, and those terms call for us His children to, in some measure, suffer as His precious Son suffered. Then when that happens, when you are effervescing in the overflow of desire, His desire and His delight, you are experiencing Christ's purpose in coming to save, that His joy in us might be complete and that our joy in Him might be complete, John chapter 15 verse 11." [38:00:42]

"Thus, one form of evil, suffering, is turned on its head to defeat another form of evil and that is our transgressions, and all of it to the praise and honor of glory of God's wisdom and the building up of His Kingdom through awakenings, whether they be small or great, national or personal." [45:31:26]

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Transcript
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